Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Georgia Bushell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Georgia, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I have always been determined to hustle my art into my lifestyle. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, and I knew that whatever career I’d have, it would relate to art. Before I really knew exactly what I would fall into, I would push my art. I remember being in middle school trying to sell anime drawings for 50 cents, and I actually sold a few. For a long time, I thought that my break would be in comic books, but when I found out about tattooing, my gears shifted. Writing and illustrating at least one story is still a huge dream of mine, but I absolutely fell in love with the art of tattoos. From what I saw from television and YouTube, I loved the process, the variety of styles, the culture, the freedom of expressing yourself, and the idea of bonding with and offering a sort of therapy to clients. I learned that tattooing begins with an apprenticeship, and I got to work building a portfolio with the intention to bring it to tattoo shops.
I went to high school in a really small town that wasn’t very artsy, so I honestly worried when it came to the idea of finding a shop to show my artwork to. I lucked out when I was discovered by a couple who informed me that they owned a tattoo shop while I working as a cashier at a grocery store, doodling on receipt paper. I later brought in my portfolio, took in their critiques, and continued the process from there. Through my apprenticeship, I studied tattoo history, drew in many different styles, accepted criticism, learned sterilization, and of course did a lot of shop cleaning. I paid my dues and sort of continued the process from there, eventually practicing with a tattoo machine. At first, the machine was rigged to a ballpoint pen and I would trace designs over and over on paper. I moved my way up to tattooing with needles on fruit- bananas, honeydew, oranges, grapefruit… I even tattooed a watermelon once. I practiced on sheets of silicone skin for a while after the fruit, and then COVID hit. I was supposed to practice tattooing on people right before the orders to stay at home were dished out. I was out of commission for 2 months before it was finally deemed safe to get back to work, and I had to practice even more on fake skin before I was allowed on the real deal. This was a long process but once I finally got to tattooing people, it started all coming together. I tattooed my mentor, myself, my at-the-time boyfriend, and several shop regulars pro bono. These pieces were small and admittedly not great, but I will never forget them.
Over the course of 4 years, I grew along with my tattoos. I was observed pretty heavily at the shop, and the owners had a lot of control over the tattoos I was allowed to accept. I didn’t have a lot of artistic freedom in this process, and there were times when I thought I wouldn’t tattoo anymore because of how nervous I was. I had a hard time even recognizing what I would feel comfortable with or thrive doing because I was always told what I was and was not capable of. I wasn’t very confident for a long time, and eventually I decided that the shop wasn’t the best environment for me or my artistic growth. It was a difficult separation and didn’t go smoothly, much less how I had expected. Once I was in a new shop and had more of a say-so in what I could do and the freedom to practice different styles, I began to realize that I may be a good tattoo artist. Including my apprenticeship, I have been at this for about 5 years, but I think that just this last year has been the first time I have experienced tattooing as I had wanted it to be. I would say that having the freedom to experiment with styles, machines, inks, and needle brands at my own volition has given me that last step to move beyond my dream and get my career started. I will always be thankful for the chance that was taken on me, and I learned a lot through my apprenticeship from my mentor. Things were rough at times in the beginning, but I wouldn’t change anything. I definitely credit stepping out of my comfort zones and gaining confidence to what made me become more legitimate.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a 23-year-old tattoo artist and painter living in Brooksville with my Siamese cat Penelope, who is my favorite person. I love to paint portraits of sci-fi and horror movie characters, and I have recently started dipping my toes into some funky original paintings. My interests have been a big part of inspiring those originals, as well as being fun to paint fan art of. I love to consume and create art, and I like to go to museums and metal concerts when I get the chance.
As previously stated, I was sort of brought into my industry by a happy accident when I was seen scribbling on receipt paper at my cashier job, and during my senior year of high school, I was able to start the process to becoming a bona fide tattoo artist. I was 17, so I really wasn’t completely ready to start hitting the streets to show my portfolio to shops. I was ahead in my credits and was given the opportunity to wrap up a year early with the duel enrollment program, and I decided to take it. Like many, I did not like high school, so this was really positive for me. One of my college courses was anatomy, which I signed up for because I thought that it would be good for my art. I didn’t realize how hard-core medical anatomy was, much less how wrong I was about relating the course to drawing. I ended up having to drop the class due to my lackluster performance, which left a gap in my schedule that I needed to fill. I really didn’t want to have to go back to high school for just one class, so I went into an internship program which the school offered. I chose to use the aforementioned tattoo shop for the program, and would report what I’d done and learned for my credit. It was a really cool experience, it got to a point where I started just submitting copies of my drawings to the head of the program rather than a written summary at the end of each week. I was able to get ahead in my tattoo apprenticeship early, and of course continued once I had officially graduated from high school. Being able to start out so young was a big deal for me, and I am extremely grateful for how it started to come together.
I am first and foremost a tattoo artist, and I have worked in many styles. I have tattooed in color, black and grey, realism, blackwork, ornamental, traditional, neo-traditional, and glitter style, and especially these days I tend to gravitate towards realism and illustrative work. Anything painterly, I love working with. I like to have styles under my belt so that I can provide for a variety of clients. I rework and cover up old tattoos, both of which are a lot of fun for me. I just love tattooing, and elated reactions from my clients make my whole day. I appreciate and have a sort of love for my clients, the trust that they have in me means so much, and I am given so many creative and cool ideas to work with. I also accept painting commissions, which are always special and give me the opportunity to switch things up and bring somebody’s vision to life.
I have a lot to be grateful for, especially the people in my life. My family is small but there is a lot of love, and my close friends mean a whole lot to me. I’m so fortunate to have people I connect with so heavy who really come through for me. The support I have had, especially this year, has done so much for me and my art. I am really proud of my growth, both in art and character. I’ve become extremely open to change, because taking the risks that come with that has made my dream start to become a reality. I’m really excited for what’s ahead of the road for my art, I have put a lot into it and feel that I still owe a lot to it. My art has always been my constant, my friend, and what’s kept me from going insane. The farther I go, the more I create, which above all is one of the most important things to me.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is the peace that I feel from creating. I haven’t always felt at ease, admittedly from my own doing at times, and as I’ve grown and gained experience in my life, I’ve absolutely learned to prioritize and love my peace. It’s very serene for me to sit and make art, whether I’m tattooing at the shop with my lovely coworkers or painting at home with my cat. In both scenarios, I’m probably listening to The Smiths. Having the ability to put what I see in my head on skin or canvas makes me so happy, and I sort of see it as a privilege. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it forever, I think that art has saved me. It’s gotten me out of some rough scenarios, and it’s given me so many opportunities. Art has elevated my character and given me a career, and as long as I can help it I will keep pushing it and giving it all that I can.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

As previously mentioned, a lot of what has impacted and inspired me is within my interests. I love the strange, unique, and fantastical. If it’s out there, I’m running right behind it. I think the best references I have had along the way have been the creators of my favorite movies, books, music, etc. One of my most notable examples comes from when I was in seventh grade. I found a magazine in my art class that focused on Tim Burton. I loved his movies, I still do, so of course I gave it a read. I wound up keeping this magazine because of how much it spoke to me. Burton was an outcast his whole life, and was misfitted from his peers because of how different they found him. Despite this, Tim Burton stuck with his passions and ghoulish interests and they took him to the top. This was very inspiring for me at that age. I think that having an inspiration like Tim Burton was so comforting for me especially because it showed me that I wasn’t wrong for gravitating towards the odd, and pushed me along the way to continue with my own career endeavors.
I would say that looking up to characters like Tim Burton was so important for my journey because they sort of reassured me. I struggled to fit in when I was growing up, so I found a lot of company and solace in weird movies and animated series’. I like the unusual and eclectic, and things that make you say, “that’s gross”. I like to research the creators of my favorite things, to see what drove them to bring their dreams to life. My horizons started to broaden as I got older, and I kept finding things that I liked and inspired me, which are sort of niche at this point. Best of all, I started to meet likeminded people who jived with what I’m into. Without these artists, I would have had a much harder time finding out where I fall. I have a lot of passion and I tend to go all in when something sparks my interest, I think because I resonate so heavily with what I’m immersed in. I would say that a big philosophy of mine is really cheesy but true, which is to believe in yourself, work hard, and trust the process.

Contact Info:

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